amazarashi “natsu wo matteimashita”

This movie is a video clip of a song by amazarashi, a Japanese rock band led by Aomori Prefecture-based musician AKITA Hiromu. The white teru-teru bozu handmade doll–the symbol of amazarashi–travels through a gloomy town enclosed by telephone poles. The head of the doll transforms into octopus arms, a TV, an antenna, a speaker, etc., in tune with the melody of the song. The dynamic pen-like strokes and the 3D screen effects create a familiar and yet disturbing atmosphere.

Personal whispering attains universal voice
This is the most mystifying work among all movies created using animation techniques. Apart from the links between the letters of the lyrics, there is no semantic relation between the content of the lyrics and the visual content. Yet, as the audience are irresistibly attracted by the movie and repeatedly watch it over and over again, they gradually come to realize that the character hanging in the air is actually the symbol of the artist known as amazarashi. The character itself is “amazarashi (weather-beaten).” The free creation of animation through crisp and bold lines has an extremely strong impact on the audience, but the jury was also surprised and impressed with the way in which the artist match 2D animation with 3D computer graphics without discriminating between them. The per formance skill to sustain the story till the very end of the movie only through the transformations of the mysterious character is also outstanding.
This work is brimming with the potential of the team of creators to keep bringing to the audience the appeal of popular music, which has the power to transform personal and minor whisperings into major messages and spread them universally.